Recommended Readings - Booktober 2024
Booktober Reading Lists
WestWords & Dirt Lane Press Books
By on
Paris Rosemont
Paris Rosemont’s debut collection, Banana Girl, traverses topics that are at once deeply personal, yet universal – explorations of love, loss and heartbreak, lust, sex and violence, the complexity of shifting power dynamics, peppered with a smattering of social commentary. As a second generation Asian-Australian, Paris also explores issues of identity and displacement, reclaiming power through her literary expression.
"I hope these poems will speak, sing and howl to you, in the way that they speak, sing and howl to me."
ali whitelock
"Paris’s poetry sparkles with originality of voice, integrity of feeling, sass, sensuality, depth of thought, rebellion, and tenderness."
Mark Tredinnick OAM
*Shortlisted for the 2024 Mary Gilmore Award*
Margaret Hamilton
In this sweeping memoir, Margaret Hamilton shares the story of her life and times. A child of the post-war years, Margaret was at the forefront of Australian publishing as it strove to shake off the dominance of British and American publishers and became an independent force. Her passion for children’s books led to Margaret Hamilton Books, a company developed with her husband Max, which created a list of highly regarded successful picture books. Spanning over half a century of publishing change and growth, Margaret Hamilton’s memoir is a vital history of late 20th-century and early 21st-century Australian publishing, as well as a record of a vital player in that history.
"Margaret has touched the lives of so many. A wise adviser and passionate advocate, she stands above all others in the world of books and writing."
Libby Gleeson AM
Reclink Footy
A few decades ago, on the streets of St Kilda, a young man popped up with an alternative to what was being offered to those seeking solace from the ‘dark side’. That young man was Peter Cullen, and the alternative he offered – to addiction of any kind – was playing community sport.
Specifically, kicking an Aussie Rules football around.
“IF YOU CAN KICK A FOOTY, YOU CAN KICK A HABIT”
Father Bob Maguire (AM RFD)
Thirty years later, Reclink Australia offers evidence-based programs to people experiencing disadvantage, and its reach has spread from urban Melbourne to all parts of the continent, in both major cities and outback communities, as well as regional areas. fostering socially inclusive, life-changing opportunities to people who would otherwise have little or no access to either.
The Power of a Football is a collection of the stories about these people, these communities, and the army of volunteers and generous supporters who have made Reclink’s work possible. Reclink footy has saved people’s lives … and this is a book about Reclink footy.
“Full of stories of redemption, hope, pushing doors open for people and bringing out the very finest qualities in our communities. Put them together and they are a force for good. I see in them the very best of us. As you read the stories in this book, I’m confident you’ll see the same.”
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia
The Living Stories Western Sydney Writing Prize is an award-winning creative writing competition that draws on a proud lineage of other writing prizes, providing opportunities for young and emerging voices, a forum for reflection and conversation between communities and insight for audiences both here and well beyond the region to appreciate and begin to understand the tapestry that is west of the harbour.
This publication features the winning and highly commended short stories and poems from writers of each age group, from each Western Sydney LGA.
The 2024 prize explored what is beyond the physical, moral, psychological bounderies, what is ‘over the line … ?’ What happens when those invisible lines and connections between us are transgressed? What are the lines between our worlds, real and imagined and what is too far?
Every city has its own personality and crime fiction is as much about the place as it is about the crimes. A call out was made for Greater Western Sydney based writers to contribute either a 2000 word crime short story or a micro-fiction of no more than 200 words.
The story needed to be set in Western Sydney to highlight the differences that location made to the stories that could be told. This region is huge, covering an area from the Hawksbury, down the Blue Mountains and into the Illawarra. The landscape is as diverse as the people. This place is not only one of Sydney’s most culturally diverse areas but Australia’s with a story potential both exciting and largely untapped.
This is an Australia we don’t always see. The stories in this collection are rougher, edgier, sharing new perspectives and different points of view. They offer a glimpse from a new generation of writers exploring what contemporary Australia is all about.
BAD WESTERN SYDNEY: THE SECOND CASE
"WestWords is dedicated to creating and sharing the stories of Western Sydney. At BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival we believe in supporting and promoting Australian crime writers. So, for the second time, we have collaborated to bring together an anthology of short stories and microfiction to showcase not only fresh, exciting new voices but also one of the world’s most multi-cultural regions. The criteria for inclusion? The best writing, and a strong sense of place. That place is Western Sydney.
And what a place! This huge area contains over 10% of the population of Australia and it’s growing. But Parramatta is not Penrith, Bankstown is not Bringelly or Blacktown, Camden is not Cabramatta, Canley Vale or Campbelltown, Liverpool and Leumeah are not the same, neither are Merrylands and Mulgoa. All are part of Greater Western Sydney but each has its own character, its own personality, its different populations and its own voices. But for many it is unknown territory, even when it is just 25 minutes down the one of the many motorways that connect the city.
These are stories many Australians have never heard—they are not cosy or comfortable. They will startle and shock, they will illuminate and inspire, they will reveal. We hope they will reach many who don’t know the new perspectives and different realities Western Sydney has to offer," - Catherine du Peloux Menagé
Written by Peter O’Connor
Illustrated by Nisaluk Chantanakom
A story about making and saving loving memories.
Marley’s dream cloth reminds her of the people she loves, and of safe and happy times. When times get tough and the cloth rips in two, those memories begin to slide away. Marley must make new loving memories before she can bring back the old ones and begin to imagine the future anew.
"O’Connor’s text shines with evocative language and thought-provoking similes. Chantanakom’s artwork, which combines pencil, watercolour and digital edits, creates an amazing play of light and shadows on every spread, culminating in the most wonderful glow as the story reaches a satisfying end." - Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran
Written by Margrete Lamond
Illustrated by Mateja Jager
Shortlisted for the 2024 CBCA Picture Book of the Year.
The Paper-flower Girl creates elaborate flowers out of paper, but she has few customers. When the Giant from the Hill brings her to work for him, they soon discover they want very different things. Before long, the Paper-flower Girl is forced to create things she no longer recognises as flowers. When the exasperated Giant throws her from the Hill, the Paper-flower Girl takes with her something belonging to the Giant, incorporates it into her elaborate flowers, and attains greater success than the Giant. This is a story about being prepared for the worst and hoping for the best.
What the CBCA judges had to say …
“This exquisite, high-quality picture book captivates from the soft, detailed cover and beautiful endpapers through to the very end. Language is poetic and evocative, successfully using a range of literary devices (repetition, rhythm, rhyme) to create mood and atmosphere. Vocabulary is sophisticated taking the reader on a journey with the unfurling story of the girl, her creativity and the giant and his demands. Bolding and changes in size and positioning of the text is utilised effectively, enhancing the message. Artwork is exceptional, at times almost creating an additional narrative thread, at others extending the feelings and actions of the characters. Variations in colour palette reflect the changing mood, emotions and dialogue between the girl and the giant. Use of changes in perspective and positioning is creative and original.”
Story by Margrete Lamond & Anthony Bertini
Illustrations by Christopher Nielsen
HONOUR BOOK, 2022 PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR, THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA
JUST ONE BEE is a story of hope, determination and never giving up: the story of One-bee and her dream to revert desolate wastes back to fields of flowers. It is also the story of our own battles with ourselves – the battle between the inner optimist and the inner voice of pessimism, and how we need to listen to the voice that expresses our dreams and not the voice that tells us not to bother.